


Smile of the Sun

by silvermyth



Category: Moon Child (2003)
Genre: Angst, Gen, Suicidal Thoughts, Suicide, blast from the past, introspective
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-22
Updated: 2016-02-22
Packaged: 2018-05-22 13:28:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,098
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6081174
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silvermyth/pseuds/silvermyth
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kei is left without his only friend, Luka. A one-shot introspective focusing on Kei (3rd person) during the first few minutes of the movie, and his first encounter with Sho.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Smile of the Sun

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this way the hell back in 2005. It's on FFN, but I decided to drop it on over here. Enjoy.

Kei sat waiting. Waiting for the sun; waiting for death. It was hard to go on without Luka around. Luka had been one of the few things that anchored Kei to life. Luka had given Kei something to do, someone to take care of. They shared their miserable existence, taking turns making sure the other wouldn't give up and leave him alone. Such a solitary existence would be unbearable.

But finally, Luka gave in to death. He went peacefully, singing his beautiful song to the rising sun. Kei had stayed until the last minute, not ready to die, not wanting Luka to die, but still unable to pull Luka out of the sun before he burned away.

It took a while for Kei to realize that Luka was never going to be there again. He filled the surreal nights and dark days traveling restlessly, unconsciously searching for Luka. Gradually, he began to give in, too. He fed less, stayed out until just before the sun came. He didn't yet have the courage to end his own existence, but he contemplated it as he fell deeper and deeper into despair.

At last, he decided to try it. He sat in a park, unmoving, waiting for the sun. However, just as he felt his skin burning, his will to die gave out, and he ran to the nearest shelter.

Now Kei had no will whatsoever. The hunger burned through his blood-starved body, but he closed his eyes and listend to the sounds of the city. He listened to the children of Mallepa. He heard voices yelling nearby, but didn't bother to move. The shouts stopped abruptly, and he heard the pitter-patter of feet running through the streets.

The steps slowed, growing nearer. Kei relaxed his body, hoping the intruder would leave him.

He didn't. The child saw him, and stepped towards him. Kei could feel the boy's eyes on him, waiting for him to move. A few moments passed, and the boy crept even closer, reaching out for the watch on Kei's wrist.

Kei grabbed the child's wrist and pulled it away before relaxing again. He glared at the boy when he didn't leave. Didn't he get the point? His gaze lowered to the boy's neck, pulsing with life, as his burning hunger reminded him of what he was. He considered it for a moment, as the pain of bloodlust overpowered his disinterest. His mind warred with his physical need. After all, the child was innocent, was he not? Kei couldn't sense any blood on his hands; he wasn't like the evil men that Kei sought out. Why kill the child to extend this loathsome life of his?

But what was another dead orphan on the street? There were plenty dying every day. Why not save this child from a worse fate, like rape or slavery? It would soothe his pain, if only for a little while.

It was the sun that prevented the disheveled vampire from snatching the child's life away; the sun come to claim Kei for the dead. Kei gasped as the light ate at his hand, bringing a pain that overpowered even the bloodlust. He couldn't bring himself to move; let the sun take away his wretched life.

The boy's voice cut through his pain. "Are you okay?"

Kei didn't even look at him. "Go away."

"What's wrong?" The child reached out for him; Kei slapped his hand away.

"Leave me alone."

The child continued to stare at Kei as the vampire gasped with the pain eating at his hand. Finally a cloud passed overhead, blocking out the harsh sunlight, and before Kei knew what was happening, he was covered in a blanket and being carted somewhere by the tiny child.

The boy set him against a wall in a dark fortress of cement, and introduced himself as Sho. Kei stared at him, feeling too weak to move. Within minutes, two other boys showed up, showing great interest in a metal briefcase. Kei remained silent as Sho introduced the boys as his brother, Shinji, and his friend, Toshi. His eyes followed the other two boys languidly as they returned to the metal briefcase, making a fuss about opening it.

The child Sho tried to give Kei some food; he stared at it with disinterest until he heard footfalls approaching. The boys' shouts of joy masked the sounds of footsteps as they successfully opened the briefcase, and then Kei saw the man approaching.

There was a brief scuffle; the one called Toshi ran, and the man shot Shinji in the leg before either he or Sho could run. Kei watched as the man commanded Sho to fetch the other boy, and stood over the wounded Shinji. The man caught sight of Kei, and his heart fluttered with anticipation as the man started towards him.

Kei's senses shut down, focusing only on this evil man who would dull the pain of the hunger burning through his veins. Vaguely, he heard the man screaming, and out of the corner of his eye, saw the boy Shinji limping away in horror. Kei was saddened by the boy's recoil, and even sadder when he shouted to the boy Sho to stay away from him. "Your friend is a monster!"

Despite his brother's pleading, Sho approached the feeding vampire. Kei drained the body completely before turning to the orphan who had rescued him from the sun's rays. He looked at the boy through pained eyes, expecting him to be in shock. Instead, the boy simply stood staring at him in wonder.

Kei let a few moments pass, and still the boy stood looking at him. "Aren't you afraid?" Kei asked finally. The boy answered with a smile. The boy smiled, and it was like all of Kei's loneliness, all of his years hiding desperately from the sun, had all only been a dream. Kei felt as if he was basking in the glow of a sun that didn't hate him, and he offered a weak smile in return.

Kei thought briefly of Luka; Luka had told him to find a friend, but always potential friends had turned away in disgust or horror, never showing the love and understanding given by Luka. Kei hoped, as Sho stepped forward with a tiny child's hug, barely glancing at the corpse, that this child would never turn him away. He promised himself, however, that he would never sentence this beautiful person to the miserable existence of a vampire, even if it meant that the boy would die.

Kei closed his eyes, ready for a new life.


End file.
